Seeking True20 publisher - Established world, art already done

Orleron · 9th June 2008, 12:47 AM

The World of Avlis is a well-established game with a large playerbase in the Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 communities. It also exists informally as a pen and paper campaign in a few households, currently, and has been in that media for almost 3 decades.

The market of interested purchasers for an Avlis sourcebook is upwards of 100 to 200 instant purchases before any advertising is done, because the community supports high demand for the product already.

Originally, the manuscript was intended for 3.5 Ed D&D. However, with the coming of 4th Ed, the new system is too much of a departure from 3.5, and the fabric of Avlis' tone and feel would be threatened by converting to 4th Ed.

Thus, the True20 rules seem to be a good possibility if there are any publishers out there who wish to create a 250 to 300-page hard cover campaign sourcebook.

My coauthor and I already have:

A 192,000-word manuscript (needs conversion from 3.5 to True20)

B/w Artwork for monstrs, races, nations, and setting mood (roughly 97 pieces of art ranging from 1/8th page icons to 1/2 page scenes) This was paid for out of my own pocket.

Edited for continuity

The book needs:

Copy editing

Final editing

Layout

A company that can print and distribute

If you are a True20 publisher that wishes to discuss publishing this material, please email me: Josh at avlis dot org

Regards,

PatrickLawinger · 11th June 2008, 02:14 PM

I would suggest you look up the True20 publishers that are out there and propose this to them directly.

It sounds like you want to go to print and that this would have to be a hardcover book. 100-200 "sure sales" isn't really enough to cover what you still need from the publisher (in terms of work and printing costs). I would guess you'll have an easier time getting a publisher if you are willing to go .pdf/print-on-demand.

Patrick

Orleron · 11th June 2008, 02:50 PM

Oh yeah, I definitely intend to get to them directly. I'm just starting out here to sniff around.

While I realize that the costs are high to create a hard cover book of this size, the art budget is often the largest portion of the cost, and I've already paid for that, so there's a significant savings there for the publisher who wishes to snap this up. Thus, while a hundred or so "sure sales" may not cover the entire thing, it will do more than 100 sales of a book where the publisher has to pay up for the art.

I'm not against pdf either, however, I would like to do a hard cover at a minimum. Anything else is gravy.

To your point on publish on demand, I will be doing POD myself if no one decides to take this up, so I'm not against that either.

This book's going out one way or another.

GMSkarka · 18th June 2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orleron

While I realize that the costs are high to create a hard cover book of this size, the art budget is often the largest portion of the cost

No, it isn't. Not even a little bit.

The largest portion of the cost of creating a hardcover book are the production costs -- the printing and binding of the physical product.

Given that, a few hundred "instant sales" isn't enough to even consider the project.

Darrin Drader · 18th June 2008, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMSkarka

No, it isn't. Not even a little bit.

The largest portion of the cost of creating a hardcover book are the production costs -- the printing and binding of the physical product.

Given that, a few hundred "instant sales" isn't enough to even consider the project.

Unless you sell the PDF and then make PoD available without trying to sell the book into the mass market. Lulu.com could make it potentially viable. For that matter, the original poster could publish through Lulu.com just as easily without trying to go through another publisher. Just hire some people to do the editing and layout and then sell it.

One word of warning though. Lulu's paperbacks turn out a lot better than their hardbacks. I've monkeyed around with my Galovinius homebrew and I won't waste the money on another hardback.

mikelaff · 19th June 2008, 01:23 AM

Hopefully it's the exception and not the rule - but I recently had a comically bad experience with a lulu softcover. I sent a review copy out - and it arrived with the right cover - but the inside of the book was a self-published history book about cavalry sabers used during the American Civil War. (It was supposed to be this)

Darrin Drader · 19th June 2008, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikelaff

Hopefully it's the exception and not the rule - but I recently had a comically bad experience with a lulu softcover. I sent a review copy out - and it arrived with the right cover - but the inside of the book was a self-published history book about cavalry sabers used during the American Civil War. (It was supposed to be this)

Woah, nope, I've never had anything like that happen with my stuff. I've probably had 10 books of mine published through them for my personal use. The paperbacks all came out looking great.

Khuxan · 19th June 2008, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikelaff

Hopefully it's the exception and not the rule - but I recently had a comically bad experience with a lulu softcover. I sent a review copy out - and it arrived with the right cover - but the inside of the book was a self-published history book about cavalry sabers used during the American Civil War. (It was supposed to be this)

You may not have meant it to be humorous, but I found this very funny - and can also imagine the confusion of the poor scholar who may have received a dozen patriotic superheroes inside a book on cavalry sabers.

Orleron · 6th July 2008, 05:18 PM

Great advice, thanks folks.

I will probably opt for lulu.com after hiring out an editing/layout crew.